The Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI) and Bharat Krishak Samaj (BKS) have called for a review of the Pesticides Management Bill 2020 (PMB) stating it would hurt farmers’ interests.
The PMB was introduced in the Rajya Sabha to replace The Insecticides Act 1968, that currently governs the registration, manufacture, export, sale and use of pesticides.
“While PMB is noble in intent, its many lacunae could end up hurting the interests of farmers and Indian agriculture,” the entities said.
The Bill is slated to come up for discussions during the Monsoon Session of Parliament. In its present form, PMB has gaps that can directly impact the Centre’s goal of doubling farmers’ income by 2022, they added
“Pesticides have helped farmers safeguard crops against a plethora of pest attacks. Some pest attacks occur on a mass scale, such as the recent locust swarm invasion. Had farmers not used pesticides in time, their crops could have been devastated, jeopardising their income,” said Ajit Kumar, chairman (technical committee), CCFI.
“PMB 2020 needs to consider these issues and review certain provisions that will impact the availability and accessibility of pesticides,” he said.
“The Prime Minister has repeatedly emphasised on the need for doubling farmers’ income and called for reduction in the money spent by the farmers, but the PMB 2020 does not reflect these efforts,” said Krishan Bir Singh Chaudhary, president, BKS.
